Golf Tidbits: Thompson not just one of those guys

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The U.S. Open is great for giving us
storylines, including the thought, "Who was that guy?"

The "Who was that guy?" has occurred in seven of the last eight Opens. Last
year, it was Michael Thompson's turn.

Thompson led by three strokes after the first round, then blew up in the second
and third rounds before closing with a 67 to share second place behind winner
Webb Simpson.

After his impressive win on Sunday at The Honda Classic, Thompson isn't just
"that guy" anymore. This is his third straight year on the PGA Tour, but in
his first two seasons, he had collected just three top-five finishes prior to
taking second at the U.S. Open.

Thompson had done nothing this year to make you think this victory was coming.
In four starts, he had three missed cuts and a tie for 78th at the Farmers
Insurance Open.

The 27-year-old had broken par in three of his 10 rounds. In challenging
conditions at PGA National over the weekend, Thompson carded three under-par
rounds, while posting an even-par 70 in the other round.

Thompson went just 1-under par (70-69) in chilly, windy conditions over the
final two rounds and it was enough to give him a two-stroke victory. Luke
Guthrie, who led Thompson by one after two rounds, went 4-over par for the
final two rounds to drop into third place.

Among the rewards for Thompson: A spot in the field at this week's WGC-Cadillac
Championship, a jump inside the top 50 in the world rankings and an invitation
to Augusta National.

Thompson played the Masters and U.S. Open in 2008 after finishing second at
the 2007 U.S. Amateur. When he appeared at last year's U.S. Open, it was his
first appearance in a major since then. He went on to play the British Open
and PGA Championship, but missed the cut at both events.

Sunday's victory helps Thompson shed the "that guy" label. But what about
those who came before him?

Brendon de Jonge was "that guy" in 2010 when he shared the first-round lead and
was three back after two rounds before fading at the U.S. Open. The Zimbabwean
is still searching for that elusive first PGA Tour title, despite playing
nearly every week.

In 2009, Peter Hanson was "that guy" for the first two rounds, while Ross
Fisher rallied to finish in fifth place to become "that guy" at tournaments'
end. Both were known commodities in Europe, but had done little here in the
United States. They were teammates on the 2010 European Ryder Cup team, and
Hanson played again in 2012.

Three names that might ring a bell now shared the "that guy" moniker in
2008. Justin Hicks and Kevin Streelman were tied for the lead after the
opening round, but faded quickly. Neither has won on the PGA Tour, but Hicks
won two weeks later, on the then Nationwide Tour.

Eric Axley was the third player in the group in '08. He rallied with rounds of
71-69 on the weekend to share ninth place. Axley did win the 2006 Texas Open,
but has played just five tour events since the start of the 2011 season.

In 2007, England's Nick Dougherty led by one after the opening round of the
U.S. Open and two strokes back was a little-known bomber named Bubba Watson.
Dougherty was a steady pro in European with one win, but has struggled in
recent years.

Watson had seven top-8 finishes before sharing fifth at the '07 Open. He has
gone on to four victories, including last year's Masters, easily making him
the most successful of this group of "that guys."

David Howell and Kenneth Ferrie had combined for six European Tour wins prior
to the 2006 U.S. Open, but they were barely known in the United States. Howell
shared second after the first round, while Ferrie was tied for third, first and
sixth after the final three rounds. Ferrie was making his fourth appearance in
a major, and his first start at the U.S. Open.

Finally, Jason Gore was "that guy" in 2005. He shared the lead after the second
round and was three back after the third round. Gore blew up with an 84 in the
final round, but he did all this mere days after his car had been broken into.
Among things he lost were his car stereo, his computer and plenty of clothes.

Thankfully, Gore's caddie had his clubs or they would have been swiped as
well. He bounced back from the disappointment at the Open to win three
straight starts on the then Nationwide Tour, which earned him his PGA Tour
card for the remainder of 2005.

Gore also picked up a PGA Tour win later that year, but has bounced back and
forth between the PGA and Web.com tours since his exemption for that PGA
victory ran out.

As you can see, there were plenty of "that guys" to go around. By winning a
PGA Tour event, Thompson joins Watson and Gore as those who have gone on to
win on the PGA Tour.

What's next for Thompson? Another PGA win? A spot on the Presidents Cup team?
The 27-year-old has a lot to look forward to, that is quite obvious.

MCILROY'S WEAK DEPARTURE

After going 7-over par through eight holes Friday, world No. 1 and defending
champion Rory McIlroy walked off the course at The Honda Classic.

He later put out a release saying he was suffering from a sore wisdom tooth
and it was affecting his concentration. That came after quipping to reporters
as he walked off that he "wasn't in a good place mentally."

Which was it, Rory? Were you in pain or focusing on something outside golf?

The cynic in me could come up with more than a few reasons for him not being
in a good place mentally, but they'd just be speculation. Maybe he'll shed
more light on the subject before this week's WGC-Cadillac Championship.

One thing we know is that he won't have the tooth fixed until after this week.
That seems foolish to me. Why not get it done last Friday or Saturday and be
almost fully recovered by the time this week's event tees off?

There are lots of questions about McIlroy's game right now. Let's remember this
though, he struggled for a spell last year before racking up four wins and
seven top-5 finishes after that rough patch.

Ailing or not, this is a big week for McIlroy, who needs to gain some
confidence.

MINI-TIDBITS

* The European Tour finally announced Monday it would not oppose the
anchoring ban put in place by the USGA and R&A. That leaves the PGA Tour and
PGA of America as the only ones to oppose the ban. The two governing bodies
will make the final ruling in the months to come. It will be interesting to
see if they take the PGA Tour's feelings into account before that ruling is
made.

* Stacy Lewis earned her sixth LPGA Tour title on Sunday in Singapore. She is
clearly the best American player in the game right now. There may be three
active Americans with more wins, but those three combine for one win since the
start of the 2011 season, while all of Lewis's six wins have come in that time
span.